Khufu Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt ( 2589 - 2566 BC) Dynasty 4
Khufu King 2589 - 2566 BCDynasty 4 Khufu Pharaoh Statue The ancient authors through whom Manetho's works survive were all agreed that the third king of the 4th Dynasty was 'Suphis, the builder of the Great Pyramid, which Herodotus says was built by Cheops. Suphis conceived a contempt for the gods, but repenting of this, he composed the Sacred Books, which the Egyptians hold in high esteem'. 'Suphis' is better known by the Greek form...
Sekhemkhet Pharaoh Biography ( 2649 - 2643 BC )
Sekhemkhet ( 2649-2643 BC)According to Manetho, the remaining six kings of the 3rd Dynasty were of no account, although he gave them a combined total of around 157 regnal years. Little is actually known of these kings, now generally thought to have been only three in number and with a joint reign span of about 36 years. Prior to 1951 virtually nothing was known of Djoser's successor, Sekhemkhet. A relief in the Wadi Maghara in...
The Mortuary Complex - The Step Pyramid of Saqqara
The Mortuary Complex Facing the pyramid on the south side of the enclosure is the so-called South Tomb. Three carved relief panels set within the frames of its false doors show the king performing the heb-sed ritual, in which he reaffirmed his fitness to rule. On one panel he wears the tall White Crown and a ribbed ritual beard as he runs the requisite course. This also serves to underline the wholly ritualistic nature of the entire complex...
The Tomb of Queen Hetepheres Facts and Secrets
The Tomb of Queen HetepheresThe concealed entrance to a 99-ft (30.2-m) deep shaft was found by accident, disguised with plaster, by a photographer in 1925 during survey work in the Giza area. At the bottom of the shaft was a small chamber which, to judge from the blocking that had to be removed to reach it, had remained intact since the day it was sealed during the Old Kingdom. It contained a large alabaster sarcophagus with a canopic chest...
The Step Pyramid of Saqqara - Egyptian Facts
The Step Pyramid of Saqqara Today, Djoser's pyramid and its surrounding mortuary complex is recognized as the first stone building in the world. (Although stone had been used for certain features in earlier tombs, this was the first to be constructed entirely of stone.) The genius who produced this vast monument for Djoser was his vizier, Imhotep, who seems to have been a man of many parts. His high standing at court is indicated in the inscription...
